Eye colour is determined by complex genes which determine how much melanin pigment there is in the iris of the eye (see Eye colour facts #1: What causes blue / brown eyes). Eye colour inheritance is more complicated than when simple charts were used to supposedly predict the eye colour of children based on the eye colour of their parents. Each of our parents gives us one gene forming a pair. No single pair of genes determines eye colour, it is rather a complex interaction of many genes some of which enhance or inhibit the expression of others.

Generally it's likely that two brown-eyed parents will have a brown eyed child and two blue-eyed parents are unlikely to have darker-eyed children. But inheritance is so complex that two blue-eyed parents can have a brown-eyed child and vice versa. And to complicate matters further a baby's blue eyes may turn brown as he / she ages and more melanin is deposited in his / her iris.

Of course there is a spectrum of eye colours from hazel and green through blue to grey ...

This great Christmas ad shows Cadbury workers preparing tonnes of chocolate in its Birmingham Bournville factory in the countdown to Christmas. The truck drivers line up their purple trucks numbered 1 to 24 to form a huge advent calendar. Then they head off to give it away!

The good news is that for each of the 24 days of Christmas, a truck full of chocolate will be sent from Bournville to share the joy with an unsuspecting UK town!

The amount of melanin pigment found mainly in cells called melanocytes in the iris of the eye determines the colour. So babies can be born with blue eyes which turn brown as they get older and more melanin is deposited in the iris. And green eyes are an inbetween colour with a moderate amount of melanin.

Have you ever wondered where all those good intentions go? THE MUSEUM OF PROCRASTINATION is full of our dust covered, unused gym memberships, neglected inventions, ideas & desires. Are your wishes going to gather dust in the museum too? See HSBC's clever ad: vimeo.com/141662569

Certain genes make some people more trustworthy and empathetic & the same genes affect the develpment of the emotional center of our brains & results in crypts on the iris of our eyes (see more). Other genes which help neurons in our brains link together are associated with furrows on the iris, neurotic & impulsive behaviour and give rise to cravings like alcoholism. These furrows are contraction lines on the outer aspect of the iris which are more visible with a dilated pupil.

Swedish researchers from Orebro University found that subjects with more crypts (pits) on on their irises were likely to be tender, warm and trusting. The link may be genetic and physiological as the Pax6 gene causes changes in both the iris and the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain which is an area which regulates empathy and emotion. So our eyes may well be the window to our souls!

Iris crypts and other features are unique to each eye and person. The chance that 2 eyes have the same iris pattern is 1 in 3 493 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 (there are only 14 000 000 000 eyes on earth). So iris recognition is used for identification at airports and in laser eye surgery to ensure that your laser treatment is correct and unique to you personally (click to read more ...).

The diversity and uniqueness of our eyes reflects the the diversity and uniqueness of our genes, personalities and souls.

But Cian Healy really should have LASEK so he doesn't have difficulties with his contact lenses when Ireland least need them. It would make a big difference to Cian, but would it have made any difference to the result?

As an opera singer, Paula needs to be in the moment when she’s on stage. Being near-sighted was hindering her ability to perform. Then she trusted Optegra for her laser eye surgery. Click here to see her story...

This is a fascinating 5 minute video clip! The Birmingham New Street Station transformation is amazing enough, but consider the forethought to have planned to capture these time lapse images over 5 years. And we now have another building in our cityscape to be proud of. Well done to the builders, planners, designers, camera men and women and everyone involved. Click here to watch 5 years in 5 minutes ...